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Nota lepid. 21 (2): 111-118; 10.VII.1998 ISSN 0342-7536

A new Acrobasis species from Morocco (Pyralîdae: Phycitinae)

Jan Asselbergs

Neerland 20, NL-4614 GD Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands

Summary. Acrobasis aicha sp. n. is described from Marrakech, Morocco and compared with the related Acrobasis consociella (Hübner, 1813) with which it has an external resemblance; however, after a closer examination the two species can easily be distinguished.

Zusammenfassung. Acrobasis aicha sp. n. von Marrakech, Marokko wird beschrieben und verglichen mit der nahe stehenden Acrobasis consociella (Hübner, 1813) die ähnlich ist. Jedoch, nach einer genauere Untersuchung sind die zwei Arten leicht zu trennen.

Résumé. Description de Acrobasis aicha sp. n. de Marrakech au Maroc, qui est comparée à l'espèce voisine Acrobasis consociella (Hübner, 1813). Il y a une certaine ressemblance superficielle entre les deux espèces, mais un examen plus détaillé permet de démontrer qu'il s'agit de deux espèces bien distinctes.

Key words: Pyralidae, Phycitinae, Acrobasis, aicha sp. n., species.

Introduction

The genus Acrobasis Zeller, 1839 is immediately characterised by an obvious triangular scale thorn at the base of the male antenna, which is ciliated in both sexes, but in the female the ciliae are shorter than in the male. The labial palp is mostly slender and uprising, while the maxillary palp is filiform. Ocellus present and proboscis well developed. At base of forewing m2 and m3 aproaching one another. Hindwing m 2 and m3 stalked or originating from one point. A strong spine forms the frenulum in both sexes. 8th abdominal segment provided with a culcita. Male genitalia with triangular uncus and U- or V- formed anellus. Bursa copulatrix in female genitalia thin, membraneous and partly scobinate just as ductus bursae, with faint, mostly rounded signum bursae (Hanneman, 1964). Hitherto, 17 Acrobasis species have been known from the Palaearctic region (Roesler, 1988).

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Acrobasis aicha sp. n.

Material. Holotype $. Morocco, Marrakech, 27. V. 1982, at light, leg. J.A.W. Lucas, genitalia slide GP 3881 Ass in coll. ZMA (Instituut voor Systematiek en Populatiebiologie, Zoologisch Museum Amsterdam).

Description. Male (fig. 1). Wingspan 15 mm. Labial palp 1.3 X eye diamètre, curved upwards, not reaching edge of frons ; third article rather pointed and with a dark ring in the middle. Maxillary palp filiform and about 0.75 X as long as third article of labial palp. Proboscis well developed and frons nearly flat. Antennae about 0.75 X length of forewing, slightly serrate, ciliae about 0.3 X width of shaft. Robust triangular scale thorn at base of antenna. Scapus slightly wider than first antennal segment, third segment provided distally with a tiny scale tooth. Patagia, thorax and tegulae violet brown with greyish edged scales. Abdomen greyish brown.

Fig. 1. Acrobasis aicha sp. n. holotype S Morocco, Marrakech, 27. V. 1982, leg. J.A.W. Lucas, gen. slide 3881 Ass.

Forewing slightly rounded near the apex and termen rounded towards the tornus. Ground-colour greyish brown sprinkled with dark brown scales mainly at costa till just before postmedial line, and at inner margin till before antemedial line. Antemedial line greyish brown, originating at about one fifth at the costa, slightly

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oblique and running to a point lying at one third from wingbase on inner margin; followed distally by a broad band of dark brown scales of which several are half erect, band widening towards costa. Postmedial line originating from 0.8 on the costa and only visible by the bordering darker brown scales, traject bluntly curved in the middle before running inwardly to the inner margin. Fringes light greyish brown with a darker dividing line. Hindwing light greyish brown with some light brown sprinkling along veins. Apex blunt, some long brown scales at wing base. Fringes light greyish brown with a darker dividing line. Forewing underside uniformly greyish brown. Hindwing underside considerably lighter greyish brown. Tibia of middle leg with 2 spurs and that of hindleg with 4, of which outer one of distal pair is minute to the extent that it is scarcely visible. Frenulum and retinaculum formed respectively by a long spine and a row of curved scales.

Female. Unknown.

Male genitalia (figs. 2-4). Valve triangular and with costal enforcement, which gradually becomes narrower, ending just before cucullus. Sacculus about 0.5 X length of valve; proximad on costa is a clasper, slender and with parallel sides, just reaching upper edge of costa. Uncus half the length of valve, A-formed and distally flattened. Gnathos tongue-formed, distally pointed, 0.8 X length of uncus; lateral gnathos components slender and distally provided with continuations. Transistilla terminal-medially fused with rather sharp hook on both sides at terminal-medial end, proximally terminating just before vinculum. Anellus U- formed with slender and straight lateral components which are as long as gnathos, terminally provided with a few hairs.

Vinculum V-formed with a flattened base (fig. 2). Aedeagus robust, nearly as long as valve and about 0.3 X wider than valve at its greatest width; distal part with 2 groups of very small cornuti

(fig. 3). Culcita composed by a slightly curved list from which originates a row of simple, long and slender scales in the centre, at each of both sides from this list originate 2 bundles of broader scales (in the slide those 2 bundles are lying one above the other). Row of scales in the more rounded lower one followed by a second row (fig. 4).

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Fig. 2. Acrobasis aicha sp. n., male genitalia.

0.2 mm

Fig. 4. id., culcita.

Fig. 3. id., aedeagus.

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Diagnosis. A. aicha sp. n. resembles A. consociella (Hübner, [1813]); both species can be distinguished by the following characters:

A. aicha sp. n. (fig. 1) A. consociella (fig. 5) labial palps 1.3 X eye diamètre labial palps 2 X eye diamètre third antennal segment with small antennal segments without chitinous chitinous tooth teeth forewing: distally from dark band forewing: distally from dark band following antemedial line, scales of following antemedial line, triangular the groundcolour patch of yellowish brown to orange brown scales with its base on the inner margin discoidal spots absent discoidal spots present lateral anellus components as long lateral anellus components half as as gnathos (fig. 2) long as gnathos (fig. 6) gnathos tongue-formed gnathos bifurcate uncus distally flattened (fig. 2) uncus distally pointed (fig. 6) valve with clasper (fig. 2) valve without real clasper but with a curvation at longitudinal axis end- ing in a continuation at base of valve (fig. 6) aedeagus wider than valve (fig. 3) aedeagus as wide as valve (fig. 7) culcita with 5 scale components culcita with 3 scale components (fig. 4) (fig. 8) Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. So far only known from Morocco, Marrakech.

Etymology. Aicha is an arabic maiden name.

Fig. 5. Acrobasis consociella (Hübner, 1813) S, The Netherlands, Prov. Gelder- land,Twello, 6. VI. 1992.

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Fig. 6. Acrobasis consociella (Hübner, 1813), male genitalia.

I 1 0.2 mm

Fig. 8. id., culcita.

Fig. 7. id., aedeagus.

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Discussion

From the resembling A. consociella, two more subspecies have

been described : — A. consociella nuragha Roesler 1988 from Sardinia and Corsica; nuragha has a strongly darkened ground-colour when compared to nominate consociella; the 3 rd article of the labial nd palps is as long as the 2 article (0.66 - 0.75 X in nominate consociella) The ciliae of the male antennae are 0.25 X the antennae diamètre (0.33 X in nominate consociella) — A. consociella Jessica Roesler, 1988 from Anatolia (Turkey); Jessica differs from the brown yellowish consociella by a more greyish ground-colour; on average Jessica with a wingspan of 15-18 mm is the smallest one (nuragha and nominate consociella both 14-17 mm). The scale cone at the frons is small and

inconspicuous when compared with nuragha and it is different from nominate consociella by the shortness of the ciliae in the male antennae (nuragha < 0.33 X antenna diamètre, nominate consociella 0.33 X). Both nuragha and consociella have two black discoidal spots on the forewing and the male and female genitalia are not different from those in nominate consociella. Lucas (1914) described Aerobasis consociella var. oberthiiri from Ain-Fedden in Tunisia. In translation his short description reads only: "little and greyish form, deprived of the reddish parts which are present in European specimens". A specimen from Le Tarf, Algeria must also have been considered by Lucas for his description; in this specimen the two black discoidal spots are present.

A. consociella is known from nearly all the European countries including Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily in the Mediterranean (Speidel in Karsholt & Razowski, 1996). In North Africa known from Tunisia and Algeria. The larva feeds on Quereus spp.

Acknowledgements

The author thanks Dr. J.A.W. Lucas, Rotterdam, The Ne- therlands for the loan of his specimen and Dr W. Speidel, Berlin, Germany for his inquiries in the MHNP (Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris) concerning the type material of A. consociella var. oberthiiri.

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References

Hanneman, HJ., 1964. Kleinschmetterlinge oder Microlepidoptera (s.l.) (Cochylidae und Carposinidae). Die Zünslerartigen (Pyraloidea). In: Dahl, F. Die Tierwelt Deutschlands und der angrenzenden Meeresteile nach ihren Merkmale und ihrer Lebensweise. — Jena, vni + 401 pp., 22 Taf., 296 Fig. Lucas, D., 1914. Les Phycitinae de la région tunisienne. — Int.Congr.Zool

1914 : 795-806. Roesler, R.U., 1988. Die Gattung Acrobasis Zeller, 1839 in der Paläarktis (Lepidoptera, Pyraloidea, Phycitinae) Taxonomische Neuorientierung und Beschreibung neuer Taxa. — Entomofauna 9: 201-223. Rungs, C, 1979. Catalogue raisonné des Lépidoptères du Maroc. Inventaire faunistique et observations écologiques. — Tr av. Inst. Scient. Rabat, sér. Zool. 39: [14] + 222 + [10], 2 cartes. Speidel, W., 1996. Pyralidae. In: Karsholt, O. & Razowski, J. The Lepidoptera of Europe. A distributional Checklist. Apollo Books, Stenstrup, Denmark. — P. 166-196. Zeller, P.C., 1839. Versuch einer naturgemassen Eintheilung der schabenähn- lichen Schmetterlinge. Lepidoptera Crambina und Lepidoptera Tineacea.

— Isis. Jena 1839: 167-220.

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